Introducing Our Eleventh Playground Challenge:
A Fiction Short Story Competition
July 10 - July 20, 2025
Stories are under review…
Featured Story:
When Nora's older sister speaks of the creatures she sees, Nora almost sees them as well, but as their parents understand the extent of her beliefs, they react differently. Set in 1920s Denmark... "The Mare in Me" won 5th Place, out of 606 entries, in our Seventh Playground Challenge. Liv Strom is a writer from Zurich, Switzerland and you can follow Liv on Instagram @authorlivstrom and you can check out more of her work on her website livstromwrites.com... Liv is also the author of a high fantasy, lowish spice romantasy series called the Tales of Bones and Roses, where each installment is a reimagined fairy tale set in the City of the Dead... Taking Red, the latest freestanding, Little Red Riding Hood inspired novel comes out September 26th. All of her books are available on Kindle Unlimited, and on Amazon, and you can find out more about them on her website. You can also listen to this episode on Spotify or Apple Podcasts.
$3500 in Prizes
Choose Your Character
Choose Your Setting
You Have 10 Days to Write Your Story
10+ Winners
$28 Entry Fee
Every Entry Receives Feedback
“This was a great contest! I loved the time frame, it allowed for some real thought and work to be put into a new piece while also pushing me because deadlines just work. I loved the prompts, feedback and critiques. I’ll be signing up again!”
-Marissa Isch, Denver, CO, USA
“I was so happy to come in 4th in this fascinating competition. Great prompts and probably the most helpful and encouraging feedback I’ve ever had.”
Katja Sass, Wellington, Somerset, UK
“This was a ton of fun to do. Great setup with the prompt choices and quick time frame. Thanks for doing this and for the feedback as well. That’s a great motivator. Looking forward to the results and the next challenges!”
Dan Scamell, Salem, NY, USA
“I have participated in both of these rounds and have loved this challenge both times, along with the feedback. I am eager for the third round. This has been a great catalyst and spark to my dream of improving my writing. It is a major life goal to create stories that I would like to read!”
Molly Valentin, Forest Lake, MN, USA